Last week, I shared a story about rhythms. I am learning that just as everyday life needs to operate in rhythms, so does writing.
As an editor, I am always amazed at the novels and articles my clients send me; it shows they are regularly writing — and reading, which leads me to two revision tips.
Tip No. 1:
These two rhythms of writing and reading are helpful to set up in your week. But why?
1. When you are regularly reading, you pay attention to the word choices of others. You may not like the story, but you will notice how they painted the picture for you, what their dialogue made you feel inside, and how the ending they chose gave you warm fuzzies or made you want to throw the book across the room.
Why is it important to pay attention to what we read as writers?
Because we learn from the ways in which others write, and we’re more likely to make revisions to our own work. I’ve written here before that it made me feel all cozy inside when I realized that Laurel Snyder took years to complete Orphan Island. It reminded me that a draft is just a draft. (And in that same scenario, a revision is just a revision — our words become less precious to us when we read the words of others. That’s what makes our revisions a little less painful.)
2. When you write in a regular routine, you become accustomed to the silence that a white screen brings. (Read: A blank page is not as scary if you see it on a regular rotation of hours, days, and weeks.)
A few months ago, I purchased this little shower-friendly version of Post-it notes. As I’ve been crafting my first novel, I will often leave a sentence here or there in the shower for my kids to “preview” and give me feedback. It keeps me honest too. If I can’t see any notes on the shower wall, it shows I am not writing in a rhythm that is part of my everyday life.
Does this mean I only write in the shower?
No, but if it did, who cares? It would be regular.
The bottom line is that we have to create a rhythm that works for us. So you might write for an hour every day (another writer friend of mine, Amy Makechnie, does this); you might only write on Fridays; or you might only write in the shower. Whatever works for you!
There: my first of two tips is actually #1 and #2 — if you are not writing and reading others’ writing regularly, then start.
Tip No. 2:
Revise in chunks. Don’t try to revise your entire manuscript all at once. Instead, print one section of it.
Print the first three chapters or the first chapter, the middle-most chapter, and the last chapter. Then, start hacking away by asking yourself these questions as you read:
Does the opening scene keep me riveted to where I’d love to see what happens at the end?
Does the ending scene give me some sense of resolution or satisfaction of the questions proposed in the first three chapters?
When I’m reading the middle chapter, what points of confusion do I have? (In what areas am I following sub-plots that actually are pointless to the larger story I am telling?
Am I bored in the middle? Are my readers bored? Has that first-chapter feeling of mystery and intrigue subsided? Do I care about the characters anymore?
At the end, will my readers be upset with me? Will they feel confused or betrayed? Will they wonder about a sequel?
Of course, these are simply a few examples of questions you can ask as a novelist in one of your revisions. But it’s a start. And that is the point of this second tip. Start.
Don’t let the old elephant adage escape you; just as you write a novel, so you revise a novel: one bite at a time.
P.S. Are you looking for extra help with revisions? Take a look at this new release by one of my fellow Substack writers.
P.P.S. If you think someone you know would benefit from writing/editing tips, muses on the world of stories, and books I’m reading/writing, would you share my newsletter with him or her?
I'll add that "revise in chunks" works for non fiction peeps too. I don't always print the chunk that I am revising (usually just paste into a new screen) but I am a big fan of chunking it down. Thanks Brooke!